Character Summaries

Alexander I, the Tsar of Russia and an undoubtedly powerful man in Post-Napoleon Europe, had much to gain from the Congress of Vienna. Russia’s crucial role in pushing back Napoleon backs the considerable influence Alexander wielded. Poland was one of the top priorities for Alexander at the conference; he wished to claim it as a kingdom under the rule of Russia. Alexander had similar intentions for Saxony as well, despite pushback from Prussia. Alexander viewed himself as a friend to the liberal movement, despite his autocratic streaks in domestic and foreign policy.

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, acted as the chief representative from France in the Congress of Vienna. A sharp and shrewd negotiator, Talleyrand and his strength in diplomacy and political intrigue were put to the test while working under Napoleon, and, later on, against him. Talleyrand hoped to reverse France’s unenviable position as a defeated power while minimizing potential losses to French sovereignty. Talleyrand also had interests in restoring Ferdinand IV to his throne in Naples and preventing Austrian dominance in Sardinia. 

Frederick (William Karl) I, King of Württemberg, dearly wanted to hold onto his newfound power after the Napoleonic Wars and would not abandon his gains in favor of a German confederation. As such, he engaged in brutal repression of any domestic dissent. After abandoning the Holy Roman Empire for Napoleon, Frederick supplied the First French Empire with troops in exchange for Napoleon recognizing Frederick as the King of Württemberg. However, prior to Napoleon’s fall, Frederick switched sides. Entering the Congress of Vienna, Frederick hoped to solidify his position as King of Württemberg.

Klemens von Metternich, the Austrian foreign minister, played a pivotal role in the shaping of Post-Napoleon Europe. A politically conservatives diplomat, Metternich maintained the traditional balance of power in Europe while advancing Austria’s influence and relevance. In his early years, Metternich acted as ambassador to France, which allowed him to gain a better understanding of the nation under Napoleon’s rule. The coalition against Napoleon had already started to fray in the final days of the First French Empire, and this cohesion would be tested even further as Metternich made plans for Austrian expansion at the Congress of Vienna. 

Pedro Gomez Labrador, the Marquis of Labrador and representative of Spain at the Congress of Vienna, fought to protect Spanish interests in the Iberian Peninsula and South America. A traditional conservative, Pedro Gomez Labrador was appointed Ambassador by Ferdinand VII after his role in the removal of the liberal Spanish Constitution of 1812. Under this role, he attended the earlier conference in Paris. One of his primary goals entering the Congress of Vienna was the restoration of the Bourbons in Italy. 

Frederick William III, though not physically present at the Congress of Vienna, was in constant contact with his attending Prussian diplomats Karl August Van Hardenberg and Wilhelm von Humbodlt. After the early crushing defeats suffered by Prussia at the hand of Napoleon, Frederick had no choice but to admit defeat, fleeing to East Prussia under the protection of Alexander I and conceding vast stretches of land to France. During this period, Frederick left the management and reformation of the Prussian administration to his wife Queen Louise and capable advisors, such as Hardenberg and Humbodlt. 

Friedrich von Gentz, was the personal confidant and advisor to Metternich, and accompanied him to the Congress of Vienna. Born in Prussia, Friedrich eventually moved to Austria due to personal and professional reasons. Upon gaining the mentorship and trust of Metternich, Friedrich became more involved in statesmanship, which fit his background as a political writer. At the Congress of Vienna, Fredrich acted as the secretary general.

Graf Karl Robert von Nesselrode, the son of a German count in the Holy Roman Empire, served as a diplomat under Alexander I. Karl’s father was the Russian ambassador to Portugal under Catherine the Great. A young Karl enlisted in the Russian Navy, but eventually transferred to diplomatic service. Prior to the Congress of Vienna, Karl was appointed State Secretary and headed the Russian delegation. 

Wilhelm von Humboldt was a man of many talents. Aside from being the Prussian minister at Rome and, later, ambassador in Vienna, Wilhelm was an accomplished linguist and philosopher. Prior to the Congress of Vienna, Wilhelm was a public servant in the Prussian ministry of the interior. After his appointment to Vienna as ambassador, he participated in the Congress of Prague and peace conference in Paris at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. 

William Cathcart, 1st Earl Cathcart, was born in Britain and spent his early years in Russia where his father worked as an ambassador. After reaching the rank of General and serving as Commander-in-Chief in Ireland during the Napoleonic Wars, William was appointed Ambassador to Russia. During the Congress of Vienna, William was part of the British delegation, along with Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, and others. 

Charles Pictet was a Swiss-born statesman born to a wealthy yet progressive family in Geneva. As the son of a Swiss colonel, it was no surprise when Picet joined the French army at 20 years old. Thus began his astounded military and diplomatic career for both French and Swiss forces, ultimately cultivating into his involvement in the Napoleonic Wars as as the diplomat tasked with informing the world of Switzerland’s permanent neutrality from 1815 onwards. 

Count Rechberg was a Bavarian-born statesman for the state of Austria who acted as the Bavarian Foreign Minister throughout the duration of the Congress of Vienna. Count Rechberg is well-known for his close relationship to Klemens von Metternich of Austria, even acting as a constant member of Metternich’s inner circle of advisors. Rechberg involved himself in a considerable amount of political and diplomatic work in Germany, Italy, and Switzerland respectively. 

Ercole Consalvi was twice-reigning the Cardinal Secretary of State for the Papal States, and thus an esteemed deacon and cardinal of the Catholic Church of Rome. Born into an aristocratic Roman family, Consalvi furthered the borders of his career beyond the scopes of religion when nominated by Pope Pius VII to act as a diplomat under the title of Cardinal Secretary of State. In his diplomatic career, Conslavi made himself known for his firm beliefs in the supremacy of the divine right of kings, an assertion of the rising legitimist principle. 

Karl August von Hardenberg was the Prime Minister of Prussia during the vital period of European mass negotiations from 1813-1815. Throughout his term, he shifted from more liberal policies to increasingly reactionary policies, all in order to preserve Prussia’s integrity in the global theatre during the midst of the Napoleonic Wars, eventually leading him to set the pace for Prussian independence from France in the brief years to follow. 

Marshall Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte was a prominent French commander during both the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, who later went on to become King Charles XIV John of Sweden. Though he was raised locally in France and committed most of his young life to the French military, when approached by Napoleon to become the heir to King Charles XIII of Sweden, he readily accepted, thus enacting his nearly 30 year rule of Sweden. 

Viscount Castlereagh, otherwise known as Robert Stewart, was an extremely noteworthy actor in the Congress of Vienna, for he acted as Great Britain’s primary sponsor in the Congress, while simultaneously serving as one of the most influential British Foreign Secretaries. As the delegate representing Britain in the Congress, a leading member of the Grand Alliance, he is attributed as the chief creator of the Concert of Europe, as well as the leader of the House of Commons. 

Baron Johann von Wessenberg was an Austrian diplomat and statesman, most notable for being the second appointed Austrian delegate at the Congress of Vienna, following Prince Metternich as the first. With years of experience in Austrian embassies and diplomatic envoys, Wessenberg was most well known in the Congress for his contributing efforts in creating and securing the manners and plans for the German Confederation. Serving as Metternich’s second in command during the Congress, he was influential in the Austrian delegation’s leading role in Vienna. 

Baron von Gagern, fully known as Hans Christoph, baron von Gagern, was a German administrator and conservative politician who later went on to represent the delegation of the Netherlands at the Congress of Vienna. Though representing the Netherlands in the Congress, his German roots encouraged him to push for the restoration of the Holy Roman Empire, as opposed to pawning off the German states to Austria and Prussia.

Charles Stuart, formally known as the 1st Baron Stuart de Rothsay, was a British diplomat who acted twice as the British Ambassador to France and once as the British Ambassador to Russia. Stuart had a close relationship with the Duke of Wellington, who insisted he serve as British ambassador to France amidst the Waterloo campaign. During the Congress, he remained in his post as Ambassador to France until 1841 when he was moved to Russia. 

Joaquim Lobo da Silveira, formally known as the 7th Count of Oriola, was a Portuguese diplomat and the primary delegate to Portugal during the Congress of Vienna. He acted as the Portugese delegate in the Congress on behalf of Portugal’s Prince-Regent John, where he mainly signed off Portugal’s support to documents regarding the balance of powers post-Vienna and the abolition of the slave trade. 

Enrst zu Münster, at the Congress of Vienna, Count Münster served as a plenipotentiary for Hanover, a power within the Germanic lands. A primary goal was to protect Hanoverian power, which was achieved as Hanover’s territory was enlarged. He favored moderately liberal constitutions which could ensure baseline constitutional rights and political representation.

Filippo Antonio Asinari served as the plenipotentiary of Sardinia, a significant power in Italy. A major goal of Sardinia was expanding its territory, and in particular incorporating the republic of Genoa. Sardinia had the support of Russia, which favored an expanded Sardinia; however, Spain opposed the rule of Marie-Louise in Parma and was willing to block Sardinian expansion in the hopes of returning the Queen of Etruria to a throne

Niels Rosenkrantz, represented Denmark at Vienna. A major objective of Denmark was the ratification of the Treaty of Kiel, which required the consent of tsar Alexander. Like most states at the time, Denmark was ruled by monarchy and lacked notable support for constitutional government.

Pedro de Sousa Holstein was the plenipotentiary for Portugal, a power which had been battered by the Napoleonic Wars. The political atmosphere was somewhat nebulous in Portugal during this period, given that it had only recently been freed from Napoleonic rule and would adopt a liberal constitution in a few years. Thus, we feel it best to grant some latitude with this delegate; so long as Holstein does not stray into hard-conservatism and shows an aversion to further war, we will grade based on the quality of ideas presented.

Richard Trench represented Britain at the Congress of Vienna, selected by Castlereagh since Trench understood his dispositions. He often pushed for typical British views at the Congress, such as hoping to prevent war and French expansion.

Alexis de Noallies represented France in Vienna. He was an ultra-royalist, meaning he supported core tenants of the ancien régime such as the Bourbon Dynasty, the perpetuation of traditional monarchy, and the power of the Catholic Church. Otherwise, his interests were aligned with the broader aim of restoring French influence throughout Europe.

Andrey Razumovsky spent much time in Vienna organizing meetings between major players at the Congress. He often worked closely with Alexander and represented Russia. We have decided to grant latitude with this delegate; research Russian views at Vienna, which were somewhat diffuse between major representatives, to ensure that your submitted positions are not wildly out of the realm of reality, but otherwise you will have leeway regarding which positions you choose to take.

Emmerich Joseph de Dalberg served as a representative of France. Initially rising to prominence under Napoleon, he was selected by Talleyrand and would c continue to work in government under Louis XVIII. Dalberg was an expert on German affairs who played a role in many negotiations. Many of his views were not markedly different from Talleyrand’s.

Count Rechberg was a representative of the German power Bavaria. He sought to strongly limit the strength of the German Confederation in order to maintain Bavarian independence as had been guaranteed by the Treaty of Reid (1834). In addition, Bavaria had recently adopted a moderately liberal constitution, although -- like most others in Europe -- it remained a monarchy.

Ferdinand IV, the former king of Naples whose rule was disrupted by the Napoleonic era initially by the Parthenopean Republic and later by the Napoleonic Wars, Ferdinand IV sought to push the Congress to remove Murat from the throne. A strong believer in traditional monarchy, he ruled as an absolutist and had no sympathy for reformists following the French Revolution.